Category: Preserves & Chutneys

Ingredients:

• 400 grams cranberries – washed
• 200 grams caster sugar
• 150 ml of aged port
• 2 cooking apples peeled, cored and chopped into cubes
• 2 orange Zest
• the juice of 2 oranges

Gent top tip – when prepping the apples to stop them turning brown once peeled place them into a bowl of cold water, with the juice and skin of half a lemon.

1. To begin this fruity festive classic; weigh and prepare all of the ingredients as stated above.
2. Pre-heat a heavy based pan, once the pan is gently warming add both the orange juice and caster sugar cook until the sugar has dissolved with no grains.
3. Next add the freshly grated orange zest along with the first 75 ml of aged port.
4. Allow the alcohol to burn off, as you want the beautiful subtle fragrance.
5. Lastly add both the cranberries and apples (cubed) as well as the other 75 ml of aged port.
6. Cook – until it reaches a jam like consistency.
7.  Decant the mixture into your jars ensure the lid is screwed on tight as this helps to preserve the sauce forming an oxygen free environment, for the best results store for at least 2 months before eating – ready in time for Christmas Day!

Ingredients:

• 500 grams red onion – finely sliced.
• 1 shallot – finely sliced
• 1 kg of fresh plum tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves – finely sliced
• 4 green chillis – seeds left in and finely sliced
• Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger – peeled and sliced (match sticked)
• ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 250 ml of red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

1. To begin this little pot of sunshine, weigh and prepare all of the ingredients as outlined above.
2. Place a medium range master sauce pan onto the heat allow to heat slightly once up to temperature add your olive oil.
3. Next add your red onion and shallot, allow sweating as this allows their natural sweetness and sugars to be released roughly about 15 minutes.
4. Next add your other aromas consisting of garlic, ginger and chilli once again allow sweating as this helps to mellow the harshness of the chilli but also helps to release the natural sweetness and perfume from the aromas.
5. Next add your 250 ml of red wine vinegar and allow the vinegar to evaporate. Once the vinegar has evaporated add your sliced tomatoes with the light brown sugar.
6. Stir to incorporate and dissolve the sugar.
7. Once fully combined, bring off the heat and get ready to jar up!

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves – peeled and finely diced
• 200 ml of white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp of wholegrain mustard
• pinch of sea salt
• 300 grams of light brown muscovado sugar
• 5 kg of red onions – peeled and finely sliced
• knob of softened butter
• ½ red chilli with the seeds left in – finely sliced
• 25 ml aged balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp olive oil.

1. To begin this winter warmer of a chutney, weigh and prepare all of the ingredients as outlined above.
2. Next place a medium range master sauce pan onto the heat, allow to warm once warm add the olive oil.
3. Once the oil is up to temperature, add your finely sliced red onion, chilli and diced garlic.
4. Cook on a low heat as this allows the vegetables to sweat releasing their natural sugars (allow them to do this for at least 30 minutes)
5. Next add your wholegrain mustard along with your white wine vinegar.
6. Cook for 2-3 mins to allow the vinegar to evaporate.
7. Next add your balsamic vinegar, along with the light brown muscovado sugar, stir to incorporate and allow the sugar to dissolve.
8. Cook the chutney until it has reached a jam like consistency.
9. Whilst this is happening sterilise your chosen jars; to do this boil a kettle, once the kettle has boiled very carefully pour the hot water into the jars, with the lid tightly screwed on. Allow to cool and them pour the contents down the sink as this helps to ensure that you chosen jars are clean and bacteria free.
10. Carefully decante the mixture into your jars ensure the lid is screwed on tight as this helps to preserve the chutney forming a oxygen free environment, for the best results store for at least 2 months before eating.

Ingredients: 

• 2 red onions – peeled and fine dice
• 2 tablespoons of good quality vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons of yellow mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon of ground fenugreek seeds
• 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
• 2 kg of Bramley apples – peeled, cored and large dice
• 500 grams of sultanas
• 1 tablespoon of sea salt
• 600 grams of light brown sugar
• 375 ml of malt vinegar
• 375 ml of cider vinegar

Gent’s top tip – when prepping the apples to stop them burning brown once peeled place them into a bowl of cold water allow with the juice and skin of half a lemon.

1. To begin this winter classic, weigh and prepare all of the ingredients as outlined above.
2. Place a medium range master sauce pan onto the heat and allow to heat gently, once the pan is up to temperature add your vegetable oil.
3. Then add your finely diced red onion and allow to sweat on a low heat as this enables the onions natural sweetness to be released.
4. Once the onions are beautiful and sweet, add your aromats consisting of yellow mustard, ground ginger and lastly ground fenugreek, gently warming as this helps to release their natural oils.
5. Deglaze the pan with both the malt and cider vinegars and allow the vinegar to burn off.
6. Once the base has reached this stage, add your chunks of Bramley apple.
7. Add your Sultanas
8. Lastly add your light brown sugar and a pinch sea salt.
9. Whilst this is happening sterilise your chosen jars; to do this boil a kettle, once the kettle has boiled very carefully pour the hot water into the jars, with the lid tightly screwed on. Allow to cool and them pour the contents down the sink as this helps to ensure that your chosen jars are clean and bacteria free.
10. For the Gourmet Gent I love to use pre-loved and recycled jars as they offer you new and interesting shapes and sizes, but also you are giving them a new lease of life therefore reducing the harmful effects on our planet.
11. Carefully decant the mixture into your jars ensure the lid is screwed on tight as this helps to preserve the chutney forming a oxygen free environment, for the best results store for at least 2 months before eating.

Enjoy with lots of cheese!